on her favourite musical instrument, when she felt something
gliding up her sash, and saw her enemy making his way to kiss her
cheek. She shrieked and threw herself backwards, and Gon, who had
been curled up on a stool at her feet, understood her terror, and
with one bound seized the snake by his neck. He gave him one bite
and one shake, and flung him on the ground, where he lay, never
to worry the princess any more. Then she took Gon in her arms,
and praised and caressed him, and saw that he had the nicest bits
to eat, and the softest mats to lie on; and he would have had
nothing in the world to wish for if only he could have seen Koma
again.

Time passed on, and one morning Gon lay before the house door,
basking in the sun. He looked lazily at the world stretched out
before him, and saw in the distance a big ruffian of a cat
teasing and ill-treating quite a little one. He jumped up, full
of rage, and chased away the big cat, and then he turned to
comfort the little one, when his heart nearly burst with joy to
find that it was Koma. At first Koma did not know him again, he
had grown so large and stately; but when it dawned upon her who
it was, her happiness knew no bounds. And they rubbed their heads
and their noses again and again, while their purring might have
been heard a mile off.

Paw in paw they appeared before the princess, and told her the
story of their life and its sorrows. The princess wept for
sympathy, and promised that they should never more be parted, but
should live with her to the end of their days. By-and-bye the
princess herself got married, and brought a prince to dwell in
the palace in the park. And she told him all about her two cats,